There is a particular kind of scrutiny reserved for those who have carried a team on their shoulders for long enough that fans can no longer quite imagine the alternative. John McGinn knows that scrutiny intimately. Approaching his 92nd cap for Scotland — third on the all-time appearance list — and sitting fifth in the national side's all-time scoring charts, he occupies the rare territory where expectation and affection become almost indistinguishable.

And yet, for all the devotion that follows him wherever Scotland travel, a honest assessment of his recent international contributions suggests the game-defining moments have become harder to come by. The passion remains in spades. The work-rate, the leadership, the willingness to run through walls for the dark blue shirt — none of that has dimmed. What has become less frequent are the moments of genuine decisiveness that once made McGinn the fulcrum around which Scotland's best performances were built.

His most recent Scotland goal before netting at the World Cup — a deflected effort against Haiti that will nonetheless be cherished — came close to two years prior. For a player of his standing, that is a stretch that would draw comment were it anyone else. Because it is McGinn, the very raising of the subject invites considerable pushback from a fanbase that remains, quite understandably, deeply loyal to him.

A player who retains full perspective

To his considerable credit, McGinn himself does not hide behind sentiment when the topic is put to him. Speaking ahead of Scotland's fixture in Skopje, he was direct and thoughtful in equal measure about what it means to carry responsibility at international level.

"The nature of the beast is, at club and country, you have a lot of responsibility, a lot of weight on your shoulders," he said. "When you do something well, you're the best thing since sliced bread. When you don't have a great couple of games, or you're not producing assists, or you make a poor pass in a pivotal moment of the game, you're automatically not good enough."

He acknowledged, too, that the demands of competing at the highest level into his early thirties — he turns 32 later this month — bring their own particular complexities. The challenge, as he frames it, is to keep producing at the standard Scotland need rather than resting on the considerable reputation he has already built.

On the question of whether his status makes him undroppable, he was equally unequivocal. "No, no. I'm certainly not undroppable," he said. "I remember Steve Clarke put me on the bench and I had absolutely no issue with that. The best players will play for Scotland. If that's a team without me in it, I'll be the biggest Scotland supporter on the bench."

A legacy that extends well beyond the international stage

It would be a disservice to McGinn's career to reduce him to a question mark over current form. At Aston Villa, his contribution to the club's recent trajectory has been transformational — a key figure in the promotion from the Championship in 2019, instrumental in keeping them in the Premier League the following season, and latterly embedded as a genuine legend at Villa Park. The esteem in which supporters hold him there goes considerably beyond admiration; it is closer to reverence.

For Scotland, that same arc of influence has been profound. The market, broadly speaking, still values what he brings to the side — even when individual performances have not quite reached the heights of his most influential outings. His mere presence changes how opposition teams approach Scotland, which carries a worth that does not always show up neatly in statistics.

What his country need, as a new fixture cycle continues, is a reminder of what he is truly capable of. Not the reliable, energetic contributor — that version of McGinn turns up regardless — but the man who can decide a match with a moment of genuine quality. Those moments have been overdue. Skopje offered one possible venue for a reminder.

McGinn himself spoke with quiet conviction about what continues to motivate him. "What keeps me going is how I felt on that first night against Denmark — the pride, the emotion. When you're picked to play for your country, you never know when it's going to be your last, so you don't take it for granted."

That perspective, at least, has never wavered. Whether the performances will once again match it remains the compelling question surrounding one of Scotland's most important players.

FAQs

Frequently asked

How many caps has John McGinn won for Scotland?
McGinn is on 91 caps heading into Scotland's fixture in Skopje, which will take him to 92. That places him third on Scotland's all-time appearances list.
How many goals has John McGinn scored for Scotland?
McGinn has scored 21 goals for Scotland in 91 appearances, placing him fifth in the national side's all-time scoring charts, one behind Lawrie Reilly.
Is John McGinn still a regular starter for Scotland?
McGinn remains a central figure in the Scotland squad, though he has acknowledged that no player is undroppable and that manager Steve Clarke has placed him on the bench before. The 32-year-old says the best players will always play, regardless of reputation.